MovieFreak.com - "The Battle of Shaker Heights" DVD Review by Dennis Landmann

A young war reenactor (LaBeouf) makes a friend (Henson) on the battlefield who helps him use strategy to take on his high school enemy. Driven by newfound confidence, he seduces the friend's fetching older sister (Smart) and risks the friendship. Reality intervenes when the illness of his ex-addict father (William Sadler) forces the anger his irony masks to the surface and he has to decide if staying in a fantasy world is worth the consequences. Thanks to IMDB.

Well, at least Shaker Heights is more interesting and satisfying than Stolen Summer, the first "Project Greenlight" film. First of all, I didn't read Erica Beeney's script even though it's been available online since the beginning of the PGL contest. That said, I can't comment on any of the changes she had to make as requested by producer Chris Moore, the two directors, and whoever else had something to say about the script. The resulting film is something of a missed opportunity. I kind of like the characters in this story, especially that whole war reenactment stuff. But after the film's amusing opening scene, the film seems unsure of its direction. Is it a comedy or a drama? Is it both? I think it could be both, but directors Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle fail to communicate the final prognosis to the viewer.

Above all else, Shaker Heights is lacking in terms of story. The main kid, Kelly, played with much enthusiasm by Shia LaBeouf, is a likeable guy but also a bit of a mystery. The film follows him most of the way. He quickly befriends Bart, perhaps too quickly, and then falls for Tabby who is several years older than him. Kelly also struggles with his family, his father (William Sadler) being an ex-drug addict. In a potential third plot thread, Kelly works the night shift of a local grocery store with Sarah (Shiri Appleby). I don't know what to make of the rest of the film, because much of it doesn't fit into a "story" or main idea. The script doesn't specify which characters and threads are more important than others, causing an imbalance in the narrative. Kelly's parents seem like a big deal, but the film hardly pays attention to them. This makes an emotional scene with Kelly and his father late in the film somewhat inadequate.

Shaker Heights has its good things and bad things, but overall it's not as good as I hoped it would be. That's too bad because the main character seemed like a cool guy and the beginning felt promising. Perhaps the script would've been in better hands with another director, or perhaps the script wasn't descriptive enough. On the other hand, LaBeouf's performance is very good, and supporting players like Henson and Smart do a nice job, too. Some of the comedy is cute, especially the scene involving a staged military invasion.

In any case, watching "Project Greenlight" was much more interesting and appealing than seeing the finished product. What I got out of the show is that sometimes editing differently or revising script pages, sometimes without considering the whole, works for the better or worse. In the case of Shaker Heights, it's a mixed bag. Partially likeable, the other half undetermined and a missed opportunity.

Buena Vista presents The Battle of Shaker Heights in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors are bright and mostly well-saturated. Color detail looks good. Black levels are decent. I didn't notice any compression artifacts, although some grain appeared in a few scenes. The print image looks generally clean. Overall, the film looks just fine.

Buena Vista presents The Battle of Shaker Heights in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. Most of the sounds are centered around the two front channels. Surround usage is limited. The film's score is not featured prominently in this presentation, but it's audible just enough. Overall, the film sounds just fine.

Well, I really didn't expect to see anything in this section. If you saw "Project Greenlight" on HBO earlier this summer you've seen the making of the film in all its glory and dilemma. However, this DVD would've benefited from a commentary track by the directors and/or writer. Deleted scenes would've been nice to see also. Alas, Buena Vista offers us only a few trailers.

On a different note, the DVD cover art looks horrible. What a crappy Photoshop paint job. Amy Smart looks ridiculous with a flat nose and Shia LaBeouf looks kind of constipated. I guess there wasn't any more money left in the budget to spend on the film's poster design, although the tagline is fitting.

You can select to view the film with optional English subtitles. The 78-minute feature is organized into sixteen chapters.

The Battle of Shaker Heights is a mixed bag for me. I liked parts of it. The comedy is likeable and a few nice scenes exist, but the script is missing direction. The overall execution of the film is also a bit disappointing. Buena Vista's video/audio quality is just fine. On the whole this DVD release feels too empty. A rental should suffice. If you've seen "Project Greenlight" you could check out this film.

THE MOVIE	6
THE VIDEO	7
THE AUDIO	7
THE EXTRAS	0
OVERALL (not an average)	5